The European Union (EU) has taken a significant step towards passing one of the world’s first laws governing artificial intelligence (AI). The European Parliament has approved draft legislation that includes a blanket ban on police use of live facial recognition technology in public places. The rules aim to set a global standard for the technology, which encompasses everything from automated medical diagnoses to some types of drone, AI-generated videos known as deepfakes, and bots such as ChatGPT. MEPs will now work with EU countries to thrash out details before the draft rules become legislation. The legislation will oblige developers of AI chatbots to publish all the works of scientists, musicians, illustrators, photographers, and journalists used to train them. They will also have to prove that everything they did to train the machine complied with the law. If they do not do so, they could be forced to delete applications immediately or be fined up to 7% of their revenue. The legislation will ban emotional recognition at workplaces and in schools. The EU is expected to push back on a total ban on biometrics, with police forces across the continent keen to utilise the potential to recognise criminals. The law will provide a clear safeguard to avoid any risk of mass surveillance. The legislation will not come into force until 2026 at the earliest, forcing the EU to push for a voluntary interim pact with tech companies.
